Die Another Day
by Guthut
Summary: Reborn during the formative years of the Azshara empire survival was anything but a certainty. That wouldn't stop me from making my death an impossibility.
1. Chapter 1

For as long as I could remember, the thought of death terrified me.

To the bone.

Would I be met with rows of angelic figures, dressed in white, singing me a harmonious welcome? A barren waste filled with my own worst demons, presented to me concealed as "justice" for all the wrongdoings an omnipotent entity deemed me to have done? Or, what my atheistic worldview deemed far more likely: Non-existence, null, loss of self, a big boring nothing.

It was the ultimate uncertainty.

At least, for me it was. I obsessed over it without pause, spurring more panic attacks than i cared to admit even to my psychologist.

Meeting new people also turned into a paranoid ordeal; where every encounter would have me evaluating the positives and negatives in surrounding myself with them, and if they were a threat or a resource to the "good life" I so desperately craved.

This fear didn't just bring bad thoughts though, it also gave me urgency and resolve to appreciate life for what it was, to work hard and thrive in what little time I had left.

Fearing death, I found out isn't a universally shared sentiment, as I've seen people destroy themselves with no regard for it, and even take fate in their own hands and find out what the endgame of our existence truly was on their own volition.

I too have now taken that leap, though it certainly wasn't on my own terms. The driver that hit me hadn't asked for any permission. No sir he did not, and being on a high from recently getting accepted into my preferred college, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have given it to him either. That didn't stop him from ramming me through the local store however, probably splatting all over the cute girl clerk I just talked to, if she didn't became a stain on the wall herself, that is.

Well, that's all in the past now isn't it?

Let's focus on the present, I like the present.

Just being alive.

But I wasn't... right? My body made liquid by a person that probably never should have set his two feet and hands behind a steering wheel?

I was surprised too, truly.

Being able to open my eyes again was the first hint that things weren't as they should, my mind first went to the hospital. But I quickly realized that the speed in which the car drove was not something that would leave anyone alive. I admit to being in good health and fit, but thinking myself capable of surviving such an impact was too optimistic, something I wasn't known by my friends and family to be.

But I digress, being present is good, being _alive _is good. Now I just needed to make sure it stayed that way, and that I wasn't in a dangerous situation.

I didn't know what to make of what my eyes were showing me however, several lithe, pale, attractive, gigantic bodies with glowing eyes and oceanic blue hair were bustling around my room. Four in total, one man and three women.

Familiar, yet unfamiliar. Right before my very nose they stood, walked and talked, yet they were never meant to be real, present only in highly fantastical games or movies.

_Elves._

Long-eared-, tall-, magical- fricking elves!

It all suddenly seemed so tiresome. I had already discarded the idea that this was some illusion, some far-fetched dream I was seeing in my last moments. No, too real, everything felt too real. More real than my previous world did even, scents invading my senses only the way an infant's fresh perception could induce, the air sometimes rippling with power transparent, and the sheets -_my god_ the sheets! My body had never once lain upon anything as soft during my stay on Earth.

Reincarnation then… And in a new world to boot. What did this mean for me? How would I proceed? I had no way of knowing, or plan anything detailed for the foreseeable future. However, a goal had already formed itself the moment I found out I was alive, and more importantly, alive in a magical world.

Get _strong_. Strong enough to tackle the metaphorical car head first, drag out the driver from the wreckage my form brought, and crush him with my own bare hands. In other words, overcome _death_. Become _immortal._

Grand visions filled my mind, teleportation, locking down and blasting all opposition to smithereens the most spectacular among them. Looking around my porcelain-looking crib however brought my two currently small pale feet back on the ground, sobering up my thoughts quickly.

This world may not even have the tools or powers to help me achieve such things, elves or not. My pitifully weak situation right now is neither something to ignore, if I were to flip over, I doubt I would even have the body strength to help myself not suffocate from the lack of air.

Anxiety, my friend, I have not missed you.

Having made some sound after trying to build up my sheets on both sides to prevent the dreaded, lethal flip, the surrounding elves gathered to gaze down upon me.

Not knowing what to expect, and fear of my own safety rising up, my body froze while drifting my gaze between all of them. They froze too, seemingly in a trance. Why? I couldn't tell you, but what I did know is that I just entered the most intense staring contest I have ever participated in, both lives combined.

One second, two seconds… Keeping count was hard, but it lasted an uncomfortable amount of time. Get me out, I beg you! Four versus one was not playing fair!

I didn't notice which one of them did it, but a timely cough shook them all out of their daze. Blinking a couple of times, they seemed to gather their bearings again, for about half a second, before screeching synchronized.

I blame baby emotions, but I cried damn loud then too, in turn shitting in whatever this worlds equivalent of a diaper was, of that I was sure.

Either hearing my cry, or the newly arrived aroma did the job, as they slowly but surely calmed down. After the odd display, the four immediately went into movement, rapidly speaking while making lightshows with their hands and bodies in an unknown language. Though much lower in volume, whatever excitement that triggered the earlier scene was still present, evident through their slipping faces, gravitating towards a smile ever so often.

I repeat, it was an unknown language to me, sounding as otherworldly and magical as this world felt, but one particular word repeated itself in most if not all of their sentences.

_Azshara._

That… was a name I was not unfamiliar with. Having consumed warcraft content since the ripe age of ten and up until my untimely death, it would have been hard to avoid it. Once a revered Queen of the Kal'dorei empire, she was at the center of night elf civilization in times past. Loved and adored by all, she stood at the pinnacle of magical might and influence in the world. Her character was one who changed however, and where the story currently was, she had been turned into the Queen of the Naga, and an underling of the old god N'Zoth.

But that's all it was, right? A story? Because If I happened to actually be in the warcraft universe… Well, my goal of becoming immortal became possible, for sure. But my chance of surviving until I reached that point? Dropped like a rock in water.

It was called world of warcraft for a reason, war ravaged the world at every corner, almost at every point in time. If my guess was correct -and I hope it wasn't, then the lack of scales present on my new family and their fascination with Azshara put me an unknown amount of time before the world shattering event that was The Great Sundering.

Surviving The Sundering was not something even the current Azshara was able to do, without the help of N'Zoth she would have drowned together with her city, Zin-Azshari. Then, what chance did I stand to brace the coming storm? To slay whatever demons that would hunt me? To avoid the tidal wave of destruction the land would bring?

Zero, none, fuck-all.

It was my own life that was at stake, and betting on that whatever insanity brought my consciousness to this world would do so another time was foolhardy. No, the only real option I saw that guaranteed my survival was the complete avoidance of The Sundering altogether. Stopping it from ever happening, refusing the core of the lore which shaped the landmass I had guided my characters on for over a decade, completely throwing most of my knowledge of future events in the thrash.

Now, how was I to go about doing such a thing though? The key figure in all of this was obviously Azshara, being able to move the whole Kal'dorei people on a whim and the instigator of the magical experiments done with the Well of Eternity which ended up drawing the attention of Sargeras, The Dark Titan.

Then, how would I go about enchanting Azeroth's most influential and mighty sorceress?

Power.

From what I remember, that was her main drive, getting closer and closer to perfection, which in her mind entailed having an insane amount of power.

Could I offer her that? More so than an Old god or Titan?

Impossible.

I didn't doubt my tenacity or fervor when it came to amassing power for a second, as I was the type of person who when put under pressure would work the best, and hardest. And trust me, the desperation felt with my life on the line was the biggest pressure of them all. However, one does not simply become that powerful with sheer determination and gut alone. No, in addition to that one needed great luck in finding opportunities to grow, and time, which were both factors I had no real control over.

Ahh.

Tiresome, too tiresome…

But all this is just my mind going wild right? I can't possibly be on Azeroth, this is probably just an elf inhabited world. A world completely new to me, without any reason to get anxious, or fear for my life already as an infant!

Haha!

Silly me!

Please.

Please be so.

I didn't get to ponder it anymore as two soft delicate hands reached out to pick me up, holding me as if I was made of glass. At this point I had reasoned these elves to be my new family, and excluding the screech they made earlier, have so far showed me nothing but good will. My instinct-like habit of categorizing people from my past life reared its ugly head once again too, prompting me to put faith in them, for now.

Carrying me over to table, the more mature looking of the three elven women put me down on a soft blanket. It seems they were finally addressing my next major concern, after my safety and standing in this world, my diaper.

You know, stuff every self-respecting man would have wanted taken care of as fast as possible.

I was once again reminded of the fantastical side of magic when I saw several objects including a new diaper, clean water and dry cloth began giving off a blue hue while cleaning me. The only indication this wasn't done by the objects themselves was the slightly stronger light the eyes of my caretaker was giving off.

The ordeal was -though emasculating, surprisingly pleasant. Going about it the most effective and comfortable way possible.

My bottom changed and mind refreshed, I gazed once more up to meet my new family member's face.

She noticed my trail of sight, and started smiling while talking in a soothing voice, harmonious words coming out of her mouths, like a lullaby.

I of course didn't understand anything, but I could feel my eyes dropping from the melody alone. I could have fallen asleep -would have if not that blasted name came up again.

"_Aszhara._"

I jerked my head up straight, giving her the fiercest stare my small body could produce.

Now, I don't really know how scary I looked, but a reserved laugh and a spray of what my nose deduced could only be perfume was not the expected response.

Seeing my disgruntled face, she once again picked me up and put me down in my crib. Leaving me alone with my thoughts once again.

I was… a lot of things right now. Confused, uneasy, anxious, but more than anything, I was god damn exhausted. Both mentally and physically, doing anything at all right now sounded like an absolute nightmare. Things weren't going to magically start making sense no matter how much I thought about it, right?

It was with this mindset I finally allowed myself to close my eyes, and fall into a deep, much needed sleep.

* * *

I'm not sure what I expected to see when I woke up again, but this present scene was definitely nowhere on my list of what I had in mind.

Being held by the only male present when I first woke up, presumably my father, I was raised in the air while he, and the three female elves knelt with their gaze turned towards the ground. I was reminded of Simba from the movie "The Lion King", but turning my gaze forward quickly numbed my thought process.

Five new elves stood inside the room, four of them had identical clothing, heavily equipped in purple themed clothing I could only assume was magically enhanced armor and a menacingly looking staff on each of their backs.

Ignoring how this scene could be interpreted as a child offering from an outside perspective, what really put my mind to a stop was the sight of the fifth member of the already impressive looking group. Standing in the middle of the four other elves' square formation she stood, making the waves of power I could distantly feel before evolve into what felt like a bursting waterfall, flowing freely through the room.

_Aszhara._

Tall, white haired, elegantly dressed, beautiful, graceful, powerful. This was the woman who managed to enchant an entire race and build an empire through it. Reading about it was different from experiencing it, this… How should I say it, I understand why now?

Yet, while I'm sure I should have been charmed too; I could only feel a deep terror. My suspicions had been correct. This was the person who was about to willingly open way for hell itself to arrive on Azeroth, which meant whose actions going forward could easily spell my doom.

My father moved for the first time since I woke up, his gaze still down he walked while motioning me over to Aszharas arms. This in turn made me go into a fight or flee mindset, panic overtaking my decision making. Though fully wrapped in a cloth from my toes to my neck, the only reaction from my body was my head moving frantically in all directions, trying fruitlessly to wiggle out and escape.

My small movements ignored, I was handed over, head forced to focus on hers, eyes captured with a discerning stare not giving any chance to break of eye contact.

_Gold_. I thought absentmindedly. Both her eyes and my own, I quickly realized, her eyes so clear and bright I easily managed to see my own reflection for the first time since entering this world.

Finding whatever she was looking for, she made a small nodding motion, allowing me to finally break eye contact.

Still dazed, my mind didn't manage to register the way her arms continuously subtracted with me in them, getting closer and closer to her face, nor the cheers my new family and her guards were giving while it was happening. The roar of applause reaching the climax at the same time something soft and slightly wet touched my forehead.

The contact seemingly acting as a catalyst, the shaking waves of power present in the room suddenly found purpose, and a target. Me.

I feared for the worst, that my second shot at life would already be over, taken away from me before I had any fighting chance to protect it.

What followed however, was easily the most euphoric feeling I had ever felt. From the bottom of my feet to the top of my crown, a rush of what could only be described as pure power ran its way through me. Setting both my nerves and muscles ablaze, the wave of power went as quick as it came.

What… was that?

If magic users felt such a rush every time they practiced their art, it was no wonder the elves grew addicted to it. I could only hope my foreknowledge of the consequences of it would help me fight my budding relationship with magic from going out of control.

Azshara scrutinized my body once more, eyeing it up and down. Finding whatever she was looking for, her face fell into an elegant smile. She then proceeded to hand me back into the once again kneeling arms of my family, as if no explanation was needed for the happenings just now.

It hadn't made me grow a new limb, but, one thing was for sure; something had changed. I could feel fragments of the power still linger, and it felt as if a whole new sensation had been made available to me; the sensation to feel and direct mana.

It wasn't much, being able to feel the surrounding mana, neither was being able to prod it to move in certain directions. It was however, only something that could help me in the long run.

Never mind the how or why, for now anyways…

I probably should care more, definitely should actually. Someone as important as Azshara didn't randomly come to people's homes for no good reason, the coming of a newborn child included.

That might sound like me trivializing the birth of a new person, I wasn't. Life was something I respected immensely, more than the average Joe if I were to estimate. Nevertheless, it was something even I could see was too small a thing for a ruler of an empire to bother with, especially one as individually powerful as her. It just didn't happen.

Another thing that didn't make sense about my whole situation. Really should start making a list.

My parents received me and gently placing me down in my oh ever so familiar crib. Handling me like I was glass.

I was thankful for this, for my body and mind were made a mess, and once again, it only longed to rest.

I closed my eyes, and could only pray.

Please let me have an uneventful day the next time I wake up.

Pretty please?

* * *

**Reviews greatly appreciated! **

**Also want to say that I am currently looking for a beta, pm me if you are interested and want to talk about it. **

**Thank you**


	2. Chapter 2

"_Minn'da,_ I'm getting a sister?" I asked, eyes wide in honest surprise.

My mother, a mature elven woman named Edraele, smiled as she leaned down towards me, her navy-blue hair and eyes overtaking my vision.

"You still sound awkward, child of mine." There was no animosity in her words, only playful annoyance at my butchered attempt at calling her mother.

"Ahh…"

I probably should have seen it coming, with my initial reluctance to acknowledge her as such. I had grown used to calling her by name rather, and the word for mother had not yet settled into my somewhat limited Thalassian vocabulary.

That viewpoint had changed however, and I was doing my best to rectify it. She was my mother in blood, and all the other ways that mattered. It had been six years since my rebirth on Azeroth, and among the endless drifting faces that surrounded me over the years hers's was the only one that was constant, unchanging.

She was overjoyed when I first switched over, and since that day, took great pleasure in her "too serious son" stumble through life, correcting me whenever given the opportunity. I didn't mind too much, as I felt it was only from that way onward our relationship became what it should be between a parent and child, a teacher and student.

Going back a bit though…

Not much happened in the first year of my life.

My prayers for uneventful days were answered, much to my initial happiness.

_Initial_, being the key word.

Once again waking I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was nonetheless excited. Excited at the prospect of reliving a part of my life which up until now had been shrouded in a hazy mist, where only vague pictures resurfaced in my mind thinking about it.

However…

Minutes became hours, hours became days, and days became weeks…

And nothing happened.

Nothing.

Most of my interactions in my infancy ended up being with my mother, though the everchanging guards maneuvering around my house sometimes came to make baby talk, or just stare. Thoughts such as "why am I guarding this manure machine of all things?" could be reflected in a few of the guards' eyes, or that was what I imagined them thinking anyway. I would probably think along the same lines if I was in their position too, so I didn't dislike them any for it. I did manage to learn my name in this time though.

_Lith Yilfir._

Lith, overall thirdborn child and first son of the Yilfir family. That was who I was. I say it as if it was something to celebrate, something grand. It wasn't. My father and sisters were rarely at home, and contrary to my earlier belief, our family seemed to be a low-middle class one, as they were all working hard in a somewhat distant place, meaning I only saw them every two weeks or so. It seemed labor intensive, as they always came home rugged and hollow of energy.

I grew to appreciate any interaction, and started to crave progress for more reasons than my survival alone. Walking and talking were my biggest priorities, being chained down to a bed and unable to properly communicate made me more anxious than I would have ever thought possible. It did however leave me a lot of time to explore mana, and by extension, magic.

Luckily, elven society didn't believe in holding back to remain normal, or even-paced with people one's own age. Because of this I didn't even bother entertaining ideas of hiding what I could do, it would only do me good to show myself capable. Even then I didn't know how capable I would be, if at all.

The same guards which showed open distain and annoyance, walked with a little more pride in their steps when it was made apparent that I was a "genius".

I use that term lightly as I felt it cheaply given to me, compared to the people I would put on such a pedestal in my previous life. My achievements amounted to the awe-inspiring list of: Walking, talking, and being able to lift light objects with my mana manipulation.

Elves apparently matured somewhat slower than humans of my world.

Of the aforementioned feats, walking ended up surprisingly being the most difficult one, my short stubby form not ever quite moving the way I wanted it to. Because of this I ended up becoming the main source of entertainment for several people, however laughs turned into applause when I ended up being able to freely roam on my own.

The language proved to be more difficult than I had imagined, but it was still surmountable. I credit my early proficiency in it a lot to my previous life, where I was a polyglot and aspired to become a language professor. The written part of the language was a beast of its own, but after some time I managed to get a good understanding of that too.

Magic was… fun. Extremely fun. The kind of fun you couldn't ever get enough off, as it never got old. And for as much fun I was having, I knew I hadn't even scratched the surface of it, not even close. Magic was the only thing I didn't have a decent comparison to set myself up against, but apparently, I excelled there as well. I admit controlling my internal and any external mana felt simple, almost fluid, but having some time to think about it, I didn't know how much my own talent and hard worked contributed compared to whatever Azshara did to me when we met. It didn't matter, I guess, the only difference being how much of the genius title I actually deserved.

Practicing talking, writing and messing around with mana manipulation ended up being my daily routine up until my third birthday.

My family's home was located on the eastern side of Lathar'Lazal. There we lived in an average house that would only be one among many, if one excluded the guards protecting the place.

I expected to spend a good part of my early life in the Kaldorei city, one filled to the brim with mountains and house to plentiful magical beasts, but nonetheless safe.

It wasn't to be however as at the day of my aforementioned third birthday I was informed me and my mother were to be moved to Suramar.

The reason?

For "tutelage", I was told.

I was ecstatic, of course, I thought I would finally be placed under someone capable of guiding me in my magical studies, which I felt had hit a wall for some time now. Everyone in my family were capable of using magic, but it was only to the same extent as I currently could, some of them not even that. No one in my family beside me seemed to have any great magical talent, I was the first in that sense, or if any of my ancestors had they probably didn't get the opportunity to cultivate their talent and learn properly. The fact that I had eyes which got me into contact with Azshara herself was definitely very, very lucky.

It was said that they didn't know when the next opportunity to meet the rest if my family would be, but I didn't give it much thought, mother was the only one I truly connected with and once I grew strong enough to the point where I could be independent, I could just meet them on my own. With extra spring in my step, me and my mother were teleported from the relatively rural city of my birth, to the magical metropolis that was Suramar.

I honestly didn't have a lot of expectations to it, growing up I had only heard Suramar talked about in a good way, magical, cutting edge, and so on. But that was it, I never really got a good description, expanding on the earlier mentioned terms.

Arriving... It didn't take long for me to form an opinion.

It was a hotspot almost without equal, and as good a place to learn as any, I decided then, immediately.

The structures had the same theme as the buildings back in Lathar'Lazal, but that was where the similarities ended. Taller, wider, shinier, more elaborate, the violet and white buildings I had once seen on a pc screen came to life in a way I could only describe as 'magical'. It was clear that everything was held to a higher standard than what I was used to. Made evident by the elves I could see, almost all of them emitted a prideful 'I am superior' demeanor, it was clear that they put themselves as an individual above most things. I didn't blame them for this, as I had the same mindset myself, it was however a stark contrast to the rural life I was used to, where everyone seemed eager to help each other out if there was any need.

My awe of the luminous city probably showed, as the locals we passed by often scoffed or laughed when they saw my face. I could sense my mother looking at me, probably fearing for what I would think. She needn't have worried though, as any provocation or ridicule bounced off me like a rubber ball would. My thoughts were too occupied with taking in the scenery and imagining future possibilities for me to notice such shallow interferences.

The guards guiding me and my mother through the city didn't seem to be in any rush, and the confident smirk that slipped through their mask whenever I reacted in an overtly fashion told me they enjoyed showing off.

The tour came to an end however, and after taking an elevator-type device which transported us to the lower level of the city -the part which had a shoreline to an oval shaped lake, our entourage entered an unassuming, seemingly abandoned elven house.

We were told we were to live there, alone this time. Though, as heavily the streets were filled with patrols any privacy was superficial at best.

At first, they didn't give us any goal or reason for being there, the teachings I had looked forward to were also said to start at a time yet to be decided. While they didn't demand anything from us, and they gave us enough money to be kept fed and somewhat be able to mess around with the house, they strongly hinted for us to try properly assimilate and socialize with the rest of the city.

And try we did, with varying degrees of success.

For my part, it took a few rounds outside to get a good enough understanding of the people. Narcissistic, demeaning and petty. These were the traits you more often than not would find in the elven population of Suramar. These observations weren't what took me time to establish, no, all of this was evident from the first day we arrived. What did take some getting used to however was in what degree I had to appease them while still not seeming worthless, and lose their interest. My people skills were tested, for sure.

They were all social climbers at heart, trying in their own way to get closer and closer to their empress and pseudo-religious figure, Azshara. As she was a person I had actually met, at the start I figured mentioning that fact was a nice opener. It wasn't. An exasperated laugh was the best response I'd gotten, malicious jealousy was the most common, and if not for the guards patrolling, I was sure a few of the encounters would have led to me getting physically assaulted. My eyes did help somewhat though, the people that knew Azshara had the same color coming to my defense sometimes. I had confidence now though that the majority of the people I encountered left with if not a positive impression, at least a neutral one.

My mother on the other hand…

The less said about her, the better, I think.

She tried once or twice, going out, shopping for food or some such. That was it though, after the first week, she had done nothing but stay in the house. I wanted to ask what was wrong, what had happened, but she looked too fragile for me to dig any into what was bothering her.

I didn't put much thought into investigating it at the moment either, I was in precarious situation myself, without any proper backing should anything happen. Playing out scenarios in my head didn't do me any good either, as it just made me needlessly agitated which in turn affected my social skills.

This was our situation for a year, mom staying at the house while I took care of our outdoor needs, all the while trying my best to keep up appearances around the neighborhood.

It was both a dreary and mentally taxing existence, having to act certain ways and trying to care to the best of my ability for my mother, whom I felt became more and more hollow with every day that passed.

It came to the point that I was beginning to question what I was doing this for, why I seemingly wasted my time in a place which had scarred my mother, and forced me to adhere to social norms and rules I cared nothing for, all in the hope that someday I would be taught proper magic.

Running away… the option seemed more tempting by the second.

As that trail of thought evolved into something I was actually starting to prepare for, a single guard came by our house. With him he had a simple letter, which he dropped off before sauntering away.

This in and of itself wasn't an unusual happening, some guard would usually drop by every two weeks or so with our spending money. As this was around the time which someone should have come, I didn't think too much of it as I accepted the letter and went back into the house.

The contents of it were unlike anything I had received before. It wasn't the expected sum of gold, silver and copper coins, no, it was a summoning, for me.

It read: 'For the purpose of turning the currently common citizen Lith Yilfir of the empire into a proper elf, meet at the US, University of Suramar tomorrow at dawn for tutelage.'

My mind blanked for a moment, before I ran with renewed energy to my mother, who displayed the first smile I had seen from her in three months. It was a good day for the both of us, who seemed to once again find purpose in our stay.

Remembering that I had no clue where the institute mentioned was, as I had more or less kept to our little area while living here, my next action was obvious.

Reaching out to one of the guards I had managed to gain an amicable relationship with after a few dozen pretty words, I asked him for the location where the institute was.

A decent walk to reach my destination I expected, but for it to be near the outskirts of the upper level though? On the completely other side of the amazingly big city I currently lived in?

That was my reality.

And what a sad reality it was.

That night I tested how long it would take for me to traverse from my home to my destination and ended at a solid three hours used. Two and half if one were to chop of the time I spent in confusion trying to reach it.

That… wasn't optimal for sure, but it wasn't anything that would stop me either, just another thing to endure in my everyday life. I wasn't audacious enough to ask for a living room that was closer, as I felt the distance in and of itself was a test for me.

My optimism lasted up until the next morning. With energy and motivation at an all-time high, I showed up with an open mind ready to once and for all destroy the wall which had plagued my magical progression for a good two years now. A time where only the quantity of what I could do changed, instead of discovering new ways to use the magic. What good would a pushing-force do when a literal tidal wave came after me? Not much, was the answer, as such I was desperate to expand my knowledge and different ways to use my magic.

My frustrations weren't to be let loose however, as what first faced me was a math teacher. Next? A social science teacher, then a history teacher.

There was a whole list of them, all assigned to teach a class of one student, me.

None of them included the study of magic though. Oh, it was mentioned alright, how could it not be? But they were for some reason extremely tight lipped about the subject, as if it was something they weren't sure if I had the right to know or not.

I probably should have felt honored, they all seemed like capable people who had a high standing in society. Yet, after each class I took, whenever I met a new teacher, the feeling I got was that they were all meant to mold me into another person.

They always quizzed me on the different subjects too, sometimes out of nowhere. Never mind practicing magic, I was barely able to go outside the house with all the study material that was forced on me.

I couldn't figure out why, but each of the tests felt like they had an unsavory reward if I did poorly on any of them. The teacher's eyes would always gleam while handing them out, and it felt as if a dagger was placed on my neck under the duration of taking it.

The purpose of it all? I couldn't tell you.

I can tell you however that the lessons were filled to the brim with useful knowledge, and ignoring the remarks and lessons which boiled down to Azshara themed propaganda, I knew in the back of my mind that learning what they had to teach would only do me good.

This way of both physical and mental exhaustion would last until I was six years old, which was when I was told my 'evolution into a proper elf' was done.

I didn't pay that particular line any heed once it was said by my final exam teacher, I was only happy to be done with school for the time being. The line in and of itself didn't explain much, and the significance of it didn't register until I got a letter about a week later, congratulating me in golden paper that my ascension into the Highborne people was accepted.

It was this same letter that I showed mother, which sparked the conversation of my new family member.

…..

"You still sound awkward, child of mine." There was no animosity in her words, only playful annoyance at my butchered attempt at calling her mother.

"Ahh…"

Picking me up in her arms, she hugged my figure tightly. "Do you think Suramar is a good place for a baby to be raised, Lith? You would know, right?"

I tried to raise my head to look at her eyes, she wouldn't let me though, the way she positioned our heads making sure that was impossible.

"Though, thinking about it, I don't know if you've ever been needed to be babied any. You don't make a good comparison, do you, my little genius?"

Her voice sounded brittle, ready to crack at any point.

"Smarter than anyone in your family, more disciplined, more talented…" She trailed off, voice growing weaker and weaker.

What expression are you wearing mother?

Did I really want to know?

"Hey..."

I think I knew where this was going.

"I am thinking of moving back, indefinitely, Lith."

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

As far as mornings were concerned, this one in particular wasn't so bad… once you overlooked the whirling nausea, the splitting headache and the terrible smell drifting through the room. Aside from all those things, everything was just splendid.

I didn't bother getting up immediately, and for a few seconds I only grumbled. It didn't help me in any way, but it was a good way to let of some steam. Ceasing the incoherent grumbling, I groggily sat up in my bed.

It turned out to be a bad decision, as the aforementioned nausea and headache came back in full force, and then some. Cursing in way which would have made my earlier life's grandfather- a sailor -proud, I quickly raised my hands to the top of my head and grabbed my unkempt blue hair in pain.

"What the hell happened last night…?" I mumbled softly while still cradling my aching head.

It was a stupid question. I knew, of course. How could I forget? Getting abando- _left behind_, by the only meaningful relation I had made so far in this world.

It wasn't often I let my guard down around other people, but when I did, it never ended well.

It stung. It really did. Enough so that I abused some of my newly gained power as a highborne to acquire high quality mana-wine at six years of age. I didn't know if there even was a legal drinking age, but the way in which the shopkeeper eyed me while I was making the purchase led me to believe that what I was doing wasn't commonplace.

I vaguely remember making some spiel about how I wanted to celebrate getting accepted to the magic academy, but that wasn't the whole story. I was naturally happy that I was one step closer to achieving my goal, but it was overshadowed.

I didn't blame my mother for the events that transpired. The logical side of me didn't, at least.

It was obvious something had happened, something that pushed her to leave. Intentional or not, it was something I wanted to get to the bottom off, a secondary goal, if you would.

It wasn't something that could be found out quickly though. To uncover anything in this city of corruption and lies, one of two things were needed, you either needed a man on the inside, or to be on the inside yourself.

But that was neither here nor there, for now.

Today was the day where I would hopefully start learning magic.

Again.

Even now, I didn't have high hopes. It would be too cruel to once again be shoved in a different direction of study, so I went sleep last night expecting the worst to happen. Still, I was pretty sure it was the real deal, this time.

I really should start preparing myself to leave though… It wasn't a short trek, after all.

Following that rationale, I decided to get a cold shower. If that didn't wake me up any, nothing would. I forcefully shook my head and sprang to my feet.

* * *

"Lith yilfir," he rolled the words around his mouth, as if tasting them. "Lith… Yilfir…"

It was a professor that met me when I arrived. It wasn't one I had personally talked to before, but I could vaguely recall seeing him once or twice, calmly walking in between the hallways. From what I remember he didn't often walk alone, but with different kinds of important people. Sometimes other professors, but other times with impressive looking people I hadn't encountered around the academy before.

He was a graying man, even in spite of his race as an elf whose age were almost always ambiguous, his decline from physical prime still showed clearly. Wrinkles littered his pale face, and platinum hair fell both behind his back and down his stomach, in the form of hair, a mustache and a beard, respectively. He wore a purple simple robe, which contained no holes or dirt but didn't stand out in any extraordinary way either. All of this coupled with a hunched posture made his form a meek, non-intimidating one.

Or, one would most likely think so if one saw him from a distance. At close however, it was a different story altogether. Most of the wrinkles in his face were in fact not wrinkles, but scars telling stories of trials and tribulations I could only imagine. His eyes which should have been glossy from his old age shone bright red, power abundant.

This was not someone that should be trifled with, in fact, getting on his good side would probably do me wonders in the future. It was never not the time to earn new connections, right?

"Yes, that is me. I have a letter of invitation."

The professor nodded as he looked down towards the letter I was holding in my hand. Aside from telling me to meet here it also functioned as a proof of identification. I didn't know the exact details on how it worked, but it radiated a faint feeling of mana, so it was likely imprinted with magic in some way.

Apparently not needing to hold the letter, he nodded slightly while motioning with his hand for me to follow him. He didn't bother waiting for me, as he immediately turned around and starting walking down the center hallway of the academy.

I didn't find it that odd though, more often than not the professors who taught me were… let's say… eccentric? A no-nonsense person who didn't care to handhold students was preferable compared to the majority of the other educators I had met.

I smiled at the thought, and quickly picked up my pace to catch up to him.

Even if he noticed that I had caught up, and followed him at the proper distance between superior and subject, he didn't make any indication of it. His eyes remained steadfast towards the ever-darkening end of the corridor, the violet and white walls and doors passing us as we continued our walk.

I had hoped to make small talk during this trip, but it wasn't something which the atmosphere allowed. It would probably only annoy him more than anything, if my early judgement of his character was anywhere close to the truth.

After some time, we reached the end of the corridor. I was wondering what we were doing, what we were walking towards. It ended up being a big, completely white room. At first glance, the room didn't seem any special, it looked empty, and without purpose.

After further inspection however, it was obvious there was something special about the room. The mana in the air the most obvious indicator. It felt stagnant, controlled even. It was as if the room was made to be pristine, without any chance for disturbance.

The professor, not bothering to stop and analyze like myself, continued walking until he reached the center of the room. Once there, he turned his head slightly, showing me a lazy eye.

I wanted to ask him to explain the situation, but before I even managed to utter a single word, his whole body suddenly dispersed into white and purple lines. I had seen it before, it wasn't unlike what happened when me, my mom and a few guards first traveled to Suramar.

Teleportation. Spatial magic.

Being able to maneuver this unforgiving world by jumping through the very fabric of reality itself.

The mere thought of it was exciting.

But how did he do it? And where did he go?

Cautiously moving forward towards the middle of the room, I spotted something which escaped my notice earlier. It was a circular stone formation planted in ground, with a deep cyan gem glowing dimly in the middle of it. Surrounding it were several intricate stone carvings, runes, if I were to guess.

It was a teleportation pad, which would explain the how, but the where remained a mystery, and would continue to do so until I myself stood upon it.

I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel any hesitation, but backing down now would be too silly, wouldn't it?

Stepping unto the stone, I could feel the earlier calm mana in the room compress around my figure tightly, enveloping me completely. It wasn't long before the same as I saw happen to professor started happening to me. My body began to turn transparent, while white and purple lines filled the room.

I didn't have much time to process what was happening, much less analyze the magic and try to understand it. One second I was there, the next, not. I had been transported to a completely different room. To be honest, had I been traveling alone, it probably would have taken a me a moment or two to accurately judge if I had moved position or not. This was because the room I arrived at was identical to the one I arrived from. Mana, walls and teleportation pad. The only thing separating the two rooms from each other was the apathic old man staring at me a few feet away.

I made to move towards him, but before I managed to land my step, my stomach and head flared wildly in discomfort. The world shifted around me, formless colors danced in my vision and it took all my willpower to hold onto my balance. I only distantly registered that I began emptying my stomach. The acid burning in my throat was only a mild discomfort.

At last, just as the pain, nausea and lights reached a crescendo, it all stopped. It was so sudden and unexpected that I reeled back and fell on my butt. The nausea and headache were gone, for good this time I reckoned, but it came at a steep price.

"When teleporting… that is a reaction often seen in infants… and drunkards… which one are you… I wonder?"

It was the second time the professor spoke. I complained internally not long ago that I wished he would speak to me more; I now understand that was foolish. Please keep quiet!

During the previous episode, I didn't manage to differentiate between friend or foe. This meant in practice that I saw no difference between floor and roof, professor and wall.

Barf ended up cowering majority of the lower part of his robe, what didn't land on it instead managed to snipe the outermost part of his expensive looking footwear. A scant few puddles could be seen on the floor surrounding him, but it was clear he took the brunt of my acidic attack.

"I-I-I'm…"

I couldn't help but stutter, this very well could spell the end of my very short-lived magical career inside the walls of Suramar. Elves were prideful beings, especially so those of high standing, and a professor of a _magical _academy, inside a city which prided itself on its _magical _superiority, he definitely fell into that category. Thinking about the situation again, it would be letting me off easy if it ended with an expulsion, hell, I should be happy if this ordeal was resolved with my head still sitting on my shoulders.

I froze, no amount of social experience or knowledge would help me come up with a reasonable response to what had transpired. At times like this, I could only leave it up to the other party to act first, and play off whatever action they took.

His gaze had never wavered since I met, same with his face, they had showed no change while he guided me to the teleportation pad, and still now held the same form even after the accident.

"Humm."

He made a half-hearted hum, while raising one of his hands lightly in the air. It didn't take long for it to start glowing a bright silver color, energy pulsated from his palm, drawing mana from around the room to coalesce into a circular shape, hovering above his arm. This created a soft thrum of power, which filled the otherwise silent room with a feeling of dread and anticipation.

Was this a death sentence? An execution? I didn't know, and even if it was, I couldn't do anything about it.

The room was suddenly filled with a bright light, making me close my eyes.

When I opened them up again, I honestly had no expectations as to what would face me. I was pleasantly surprised when I was met with the image of the professor standing there, completely clean of any hints that there was ever any incident.

My eyes and mouth went wide in honest surprise.

This wasn't some simple cleaning spell. A normal cleaning spell would remove the dirt, no doubt, but from what I had seen living in this magical world for 6 years, there would always be some wetness remaining. As the spell didn't think of water as impure, it would stay behind. This meant that he was either casting a higher level of the cleaning spell… or perhaps… _spatial magic_ or even _chronomancy_?!

I might be getting ahead of myself thinking this, but still…

Destroying the space in which the filth occupied, or turning the time back of the cloth he was wearing… those were both very real possibilities of what just happened in front of me, and it once again cemented the power of the being in front of me. I remember clearly the feeling of how he manipulated the mana, but I didn't think in a million years I would be able to imitate it on my own. The gathering of mana aside, I could feel he turned the nature of the mana into something completely different from what I was used to handling or feeling in my everyday life.

"Come."

Those words shook me out of my stupor, and I didn't hesitate to reach out to the metaphorical rope and grab it by its balls. I would be a fool to linger any more than necessary. The question remained however, would he let bygones be bygones? For all I knew he could be fuming internally, and would strike at the soonest possible opportunity. His character didn't strike me as someone who would, but one could never be sure…

He led me down a new hallway, similar in design as the one we had come from, but it had a completely new feeling to it. Compared to the quiet proper atmosphere which permeated the one we travelled through before, where we currently were had a much more 'alive' feeling to it. Classes could be heard being held in most of the doors we passed, and it was clear as day that where we currently were, was a much bigger building which could host many more people. Instead of being a singular line, the hallway we were currently walking in often branched out into several new directions.

We walked for a few minutes, around three, if I were to estimate. I didn't dare voice out anything which could annoy him during this time, especially so because I already felt I was walking on thin ice.

Approaching one of the doors close to the end of the hallway, he opened the door gently. I expected to follow him through it, but instead of walking in, he instead stood to the side and held the door open for me.

I didn't wait for him to speak to me, and instead went ahead on my own. Shortly after entering, I could hear a soft thud from behind indicating that the door was closed.

Walking through the door I was met with a scenery I was oddly familiar with from my earlier life. It was a classroom filled with fancy chairs, desks, a podium and a black chalkboard. It was how I imagined an extremely rich private school with children from affluent families would look like.

Sitting around the classroom in an orderly manner were… eighteen-students? If I counted right, that is. They were tiny and clearly young, probably no older than myself. There were around the same number of boys and girls in the class, or, maybe that was too early to tell. Elven children were sometimes a little ambiguous like that, when it came to their genders, as they both had soft delicate features at that age. The clothes they were wearing didn't help me narrow it down much either, as every single one of them without fail were dressed in glamorous purple or blue robes with jewelry popping out of every place possible. It wasn't an exaggeration to say the way the light reflected through them produced a proper lightshow.

I walked up the side aisle, and started heading to one of the two still open seats. I ended up sitting down in the third row, in the center-most seat. There were a total of four rows, each having five desks. Coincidentally, the last seat remaining was the one behind mine. I considered sitting there, but I felt as it would seperate me and my peers even more than our respective background already did. It was a small attempt to socialize, but one I felt worth trying.

A girl with pale white hair sat to my left, she looked at me briefly and then studiously pretended I didn't exist. In spite of this though, I whispered to her in a convivial tone, "Lith, nice to meet you." I turned my head to the right and repeated my greeting to a pale purplish-haired guy who promptly put his hand up to prevent eye contact.

This was going well.

A few minutes passed in silence. It wasn't obvious at first glance, when I first came, but there were very clearly groups among the children. Cliques, if you would. From what I gathered there were two main ones. It was the first day of teachings, so they shouldn't have had a lot of time to get friendly with each other yet. Political factions perhaps…? I couldn't be sure. I didn't plan on involving myself in something so complicated, though, if that was the case. It might have a connection with why the two seats that were left open were those in the middle, as it functioned as a split in the middle. I never did see two students from different halves of the class adress each other.

"Welcome, students of all ages."

The voice of the old man…?

I lifted my head up to the source of the voice.

The chalkboard which had been a boring black until now changed to an ethereal purple, in the shape of the body to the man who had guided me just minutes ago.

Hurried whispers emerged from my fellow students.

"Wow…! Isn't that the headmaster?"

"Ah! That's right!"

Hm?

"He usually avoids showing himself…"

Oh.

"We're definitely lucky to study here. Maybe he teaches a class?"

Uh.

"Wasn't he once a great general? My parents often talked about his role during our empires expansion..."

Shit.

The man responsible for showing me the way turned out to be a big shot huh.

And my first action was to vomit all over him?

That was fine. I repeat, it was FINE.

I could always go back home and start with physical labour!

Haha...!

...maybe he's gone senile already?

I could only hope.

* * *

**With just barely passing 10 K words this is the longest fic I've written so far, deleted fics included. It might seem like a small thing, but I am proud :) **

**I don't think it would have happened without the great support/response from you guys, so thank you for that.**

**Reviews, favorites and follows still greatly appreciated!**

**Still looking for a beta, do send me a pm if you are interested and we can talk about it.**

**Thank you**


	4. Chapter 4

After the headmaster finished his speech, the remainder of the day was spent with the students being let loose to explore the academy. Even though the size of the building was enormous, the frantic and undignified sprinting of curious Highborne children proved worthy of the challenge. I couldn't really make fun of my _noble _and _prestigious _classmates as I quickly found myself physically leading the charge, running in front of a pack that was effectively a group of headless chickens.

I preferred this behavior from them, though, so I didn't ever raise any fuzz about it. It helped me plant my feet on the ground and get some sense of normalcy in this otherwise too fantastical world, just seeing children act like children.

Every nook and cranny were turned, and although some of the older students sneered or scoffed in our direction, we were for the most part left alone. This was all of course granted one didn't try to enter one of the off-limits rooms, as there were plenty of those around too. Rooms containing chemicals, artifacts, tomes and other resources took up the grand majority of the inaccessible spaces for us new students. Other than that, there were the rooms which weren't technically _locked _per se but were still inadvisable to go into. Such as each of the professor's offices, meeting rooms for officials and the training ground situated in the middle of the oval shaped building.

That last one in particular had potential to cause lasting damage should on get hit with one of the senior practitioners' magic spells. There was a large arcane dome surrounding the field powered by dim runes littering the ground, but it only stopped magic from traveling outside the of the field, it did nothing to protect those within. This wasn't because it was impossible, or that they lacked the capabilities, but rather that the dome functioned not only as a practice area filled with dummies, but also as an arena for practical sparring classes and dueling to settle disputes between students and professors alike.

Satisfied after making a mental map of the place, and feeling comfort in the knowledge that I wouldn't get lost right away the next day I made for the exit with the others. Though, when we reached it, a difference was made apparent.

One by one they were taken by their individual escort groups, each one somehow more impressive than the last. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous, and the now oh-so familiar sneer and scoff combo as they boarded their transport wasn't helping my mood either.

Just as I was considering my next move, I was informed that I would be offered student housing in a custom room in the upper department of the academy.

It was a welcome surprise, but one I imagined wasn't being given out of the kindness of their heart. Rather, I suspected it had a lot more to do with keeping up appearances. It simply wouldn't do to have a Highborne live worse or even on the same level as the common folk, would it?

Then again, maybe that was too pessimistic of a view?

I hadn't seen many acts of true kindness since arriving in Suramar, most good acts were naught but veiled favors they expected to get something back from.

But what favor could they possibly want from me?

To work hard in school? I was already planning on doing just that.

It didn't matter for now though, anyhow.

Following an inconspicuous looking middle-aged elf through the academy once more, he led me to a similar teleportation pad to the one which got me here, though it wasn't the same. Wordlessly, he positioned himself to the side of it, staring passively down at my small frame.

As I already had experience with the device I didn't hesitate, and walked on top of it.

Seeing my body once again devolve into particles of arcane light, I closed my eyes for a second.

A soft thump beneath my feet and the feeling of standing on solid ground signalized my arrival to my new room.

Opening my eyes, I didn't really know what to expect. I was well aware of the luxurious vanity most Highborne lived in, but I didn't know if they would extend this norm to myself, as I really only felt like an honorary Highborn.

It seemed like I didn't have a reason to worry however, as the room I was dropped into was easily the most gorgeous living quarters I had seen both lives combined.

It had a door in the back connecting it physically to the rest of the building. The walls and roof were died a pale purple, while the floor had a transparent ethereal look, with different colors which functioned as the light of the room. Other than that, it had an incredibly sleek bathroom with all the interior one would ever want, whose entrence was right beside an impressive desk and chair which looked great to study on. It also had a King-sized bed with the softest looking pillows I had seen, and next to the bed there were a small set of stairs, which led to an outdoor balcony that gave a view of the entirety of Suramar.

It seemed they had teleported me to the top of one of the many spires situated in the richer part of the city. It was a fair distance away from the academy, but looking back on the teleportation pad I arrived on, I decided that traveling wasn't going to be much of a problem any more.

Eager to test out my new bed, I went to sleep exhausted after my first day.

* * *

I woke the next morning, the happenings of yesterday distant but not forgotten.

I didn't wake up by myself though, there was a sharp and officious knock on my door. Struggling a bit to clear the sleep from my eyes, I yawned I dragged myself out of bed. I padded across the muted lights of the floor, almost losing myself in the scenery on my way.

A second before I was able to reach the door, it opened on its own. The man revealed was a tall, sickly thin elven male wearing an immaculately pressed formal suit. He glared at my bedclothes while clicking his tone, looking offended.

"Of course, you don't have proper attire," he sniffed irritably. "Why did I bother having a smudge of hope that it would be any different?"

I cocked my head to the side, wondering why this almost bald stranger came here insulting me at the crack of dawn. "I'm sorry? I wasn't aware there was a need for formal clothing. Nobody told me anything about it."

"Good," the man threw up his hands. "That makes everything ok, then? I mean, you didn't know after all. I'm sure the magisters and nobles will understand your plight, ignorant and dull as you are. I'm sure they'll be impressed, even, by your misguided bravery! _The golden_ _eyed simpleton_ you'll be called, I can already hear it!"

"What am I supposed to do about it?" I said in a tone teetering on aggression, my patience with people had limits, and this guy was already pushing it.

"And who are you anyway?" I asked incredulously before continuing in a calmer tone. "I have a couple of shirts, but nothing more formal than that. I also lack money to buy much of anything."

"My name is Folred Liarora", Folred squinted down his nose at me. "The Highborne society has assigned me to be your minder. Which means it reflects on me when you show up to morning classes unprepared and looking homeless."

The nerve.

"Are you not supposed to show more deference?" I said, aware that some of my annoyance bled through.

"Hmpfh," Folred walked past me and into my bedroom, arms crossed all the while. "The minders assigned to Highborne children might show respect in honor of your parents or other relatives, but neither you as a person or your family are anything special. Potential and trouble, that is what you currently are. If you manage to become a person of renown, I will inform you now that I will be the first to address you with the proper title. Until then, you are just another talented student that I have gained the unfortunate mission to keep out of trouble."

He was honest, if nothing else.

I scoffed, "Fair enough."

I was kind of happy he wasn't going the fanatical route with me, preaching the greatness of Azshara at every given moment. I had no doubt they had observed me while I was staying here, and loathe as I was to admit, my acting probably needed some work. Figuring out that I was well beyond disillusioned with the eleven society and hierarchy probably didn't take much time.

Folred frowned at and opened his mouth, probably to throw another insult at me, but shook his head and seemed to reconsider.

"Tomorrow will mainly be about history-

…Again?

"-which will be led by a professor who I have close connections with, don't be too much of an embarrassment, yes?" Casually insulting me, he didn't even look at me or allow me to butt in while he continued to recite the schedule. "Magical theory will last for about six hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Wednesday and Friday you will have classes surrounding the more practical applications of magic. General courses will rotate each Monday, starting tomorrow as I said with history. Understood?"

I vaguely felt my head dip down slightly in a nod, but my mind was elsewhere.

Magic.

Finally, I had a clear path to my goal. I still didn't know how much time I had left in this city before The Sundering hit, but all worries of the future disappeared for a short few moments.

Seeing my lack of attention Folred all but spat the next words.

"You will have Saturdays and Sundays to _socialize_."

"Socialize?" I asked confused.

"Well, that would be what the other Highborne children would do. You however, I advise to study until your mana depletes, arms crumble and eyes dry out at every given moment. I'm not privy to the details as to why, but you've got a lot of eyes on you, powerful eyes, _golden eyes. _If you want to survive to graduation, I suggest you ignore any childish dreams about having a fun and rewarding school life. You are here as an investment, not to play foolish games."

My mind blanked once again, I had always suspected it, but it was both comforting and scary to have it laid out such as this in the open. Comforting in the sense that I knew where I stood, and scary because well… they would literally kill me should I disappoint.

Seeing that I was staying silent, Folred conjured a set of clothes for me to wear. I changed in front of him, while he kept an annoyed expression on his face. Straightening a couple of corners of my outfit once I was finished, he sneered once more as he left out the door which he came, not bothering to say goodbye.

Regaining my composure, I looked at myself in the room's mirror. My outfit had undergone a clear upgrade, there was no way to deny it. Tight soft blue pants decorated with jeweled chains around the hip, a tight shirt was over my frame, covered by a monstrously cozy and good-looking purple robe which had countless symbols and enchantments on it. Elegant sandals adorned my soft unblemished feet. All this together with a handsome face and smooth soft silky hair made for an almost flawless result. I was once again reminded of the magical side of elves.

This was me.

Six years in this body and I still had a hard time connecting my sense of self with this body. Seeing this too perfect image didn't help that problem any.

Hopefully I could fix it with time, so that it wouldn't cause any problems in the future.

Elves were a long-lived race, what would my twenty-ish years of human life mean after I've turned one thousand as an elf? Probably not much, but for quite some time yet, my body still felt alien. The addition of mana probably didn't help either…

Wait, when did classes start again?

* * *

I was running.

Other than saying when the classes were, Folred also left a physical copy detailing where I needed to be at what time.

I kept running.

I was late already, too lost withing my own thoughts to recognize the flow of time. In my defense it isn't an everyday occurrence to hear that my life is literally on the line in this school, where failing to uphold an agenda I have next to no information about will mean my demise, no questions asked.

It was a good excuse.

Didn't think I could use it though.

Why?

Just a hunch.

The class I was rushing to get to was history, which was located in the same classroom I was yesterday. Most of my classes were there, the only exceptions being with classes that required the use of specialized tools.

When I finally found the classroom, I was definitely late, but I opened the door anyway. I didn't expect to eighteen pairs of curious eyes looking down on me as I entered, though. The lecturer, a woman named Elanil Zylkalyn looked deceptively young, even by elven standards. She was clad in a long blue robe from which emerged a white collar with an aesthetically pleasing hand-tied bow. Most of her form was hidden entirely by her robe, but from the face alone one could tell she was a stunningly attractive woman.

Her eyes were hard and unforgiving, however, as she stared at my late arrival. It pierced me, and made some of my earlier confidence start to wither away.

"Name?" she asked coldly.

"Lith Yilfir, professor."

"Find your seat. Arrive late again and there will be consequences."

I walked up to the third row and got seated on my seat. The Professor made it obvious that she was following my form with her eyes, and nodded exaggeratedly when I managed to sit down. She didn't waste any time and immediately started the lecture.

Glacing around, I realized I should have brought a pen and paper, as everyone around me was rapidly taking notes as Professor Elanil talked, while I sat empty-handed. However, as I was listening to what the content of the course would be my face froze in recognition.

Haven't I already learned all of this?

In all of those grueling tests which I had thrown at me when I first arrived the content talked about here was in one of the first ones.

What was happening?

Confusion clear on my face, I slowly raised my hand in the air.

The voice of the professor quieted as she raised her hands and pointed at me.

"Yes. You have a question?"

"I already know what's being taught," I said sheepishly. Realizing how pompous I was coming off I quickly added on. "Or, I mean, I think other professors may have touched this part of the subject in my testing period."

Her face which initially was soured in annoyance, developed into recognition after a short few seconds, until finally turning into one of ..defeated acceptance?

It didn't make me feel any good.

"Yes, you have already learned all there is to learn concerning the general classes, both from this year and all those to come."

I had what now?

I was only now beginning to feel the piercing gazes of my fellow students, I didn't move my gaze from the teacher though, as I somehow felt that would be a mistake.

Slightly shrugging her shoulder in a resigned manner, she seemed to have decided on how to proceed.

"Do you see yourself above retaking these classes? Are these classes a waste of your time?"

Once again, I felt I was walking on eggshells. Her wording seemed off, but I couldn't say exactly why.

Regarding the question, I didn't see much reason to use my time on subjects I had already learned. Doubly so because of the threat I received earlier today. I felt I needed to dedicate as much of my time possible to my magical studies.

"Yes."

"I see. You're free to go."

She didn't mince words, and let me go on the spot. Her gaze didn't stay on me for long either, instantly returning to teaching. The students gaze however sticked, most of them looking confused as if they were unable to comprehend what had happened.

I didn't linger for long, exciting the classroom post haste.

* * *

I once again needed to reinforce just how majestic the academy was. I had yet to find a single flaw with it since arriving. Every nook and cranny were spotless, no doubt kept that way by magical enchantments.

I wanted to find out if this perfection extended to the cafeteria. It's been some time since my last meal, and I was looking forward to taste something that the even the pompous Highborne deemed adequate for their palate.

It didn't disappoint. Never before had I tasted something so good. It looked like an unassuming dish, but the taste was anything but.

Having a full content stomach, I decided to tour the city for the rest of the day. It was a massive place, and my new status had opened up doors that until now were closed for me. I hadn't fully explored it before the change, so now I had a lot I wanted to see before night came. I didn't think this a waste of time, as I was yet to receive any starting point in my magical studies.

It didn't take however, for me to notice something was wrong.

Looking back on it, it probably started right after my visit to the cafeteria. I had gotten a small headache as I left, I didn't think too much of it though, ignoring it while planning my walk.

I can now see that was a mistake.

It hit me without care or warning. The world exploded with pain centering around the middle of my chest, slightly to the left of it.

Where my heart was at… I numbly noted.

I stared downward in confusion, dazed glaze not focusing on anything.

Instincts soon took over and I vaguely felt my throat tear as I screamed as loud as I could under the heavens. Rolling uncontrollably on the ground, I clutched my chest as hard as my feeble hands could, in the end managing to draw blood.

I watched the people passing me by with blurry eyes, some spared me a glance, others not even that. The world started spinning, and my whole body was throbbing with pain on the level which I had never felt before.

Every halting breath was agony. It felt like someone had torn open my chest with a rusty saw and filled the cavity with spikes.

My heart was racing and beating so hard it felt as though it might burst from my chest.

I tried to refocus my eyes, but nothing seemed to work properly anymore. My body stopped listening to my commands completely. My vision started narrowing to a tunnel and then vanished entirely, making me effectively blind. I could feel my consciousness following soon after it, but knowing what that meant, I fought the urge to stop it with all I had. I had to stay in the present.

I vaguely felt my sense of touch going numb.

It was a terrifying experience, blind and without feeling in my body. The only thing anchoring me and reassuring me I was still alive was my hearing, which still managed to pick up the unhurried footsteps around my body.

Was this it?

The magic clothes I got today was able to some extent to defend against magical mental attacks, reason being they apparently weren't uncommon to cast around at the school. It did little to suppress the fear born of my own heart.

I'm going to die.

Right as I could feel my consciousness slipping away from me, a voice entered my ears.

"You're already making trouble for me, boy?"

* * *

I awoke in darkness sometime later, vaguely aware that there was a person standing by my body.

A rough hand touched my forehead, cold against my fevered flesh.

"You're awake?" asked a gruff voice, sounding surprised.

Before I was able to process his words, much less answer him, I felt the newcomer press a finger against my chest, and something cool rushed into me, passing through my body like ripples across a still pond. I closed my eyes, yet despite this I could feel a white light flashing before me.

I felt as though I was floating. I opened the barest fraction possible of my eyes, the previously dark room was now well lit by magical devices surrounding the room. Everything was crisp and clear.

My body which just earlier was racked with all sorts of pains, now felt without flaw, completely relaxed and stabilized.

An old elf leaned over me, and I was surprised I could say I knew who it was. He was a professor at my academy, and while I couldn't claim to know his name, I was well aware of who he was. His presence wasn't one that could be missed, and his nickname, which most students and professors alike called him was 'mad master'. From what I understood he was bested by no-one when it came to alchemy, but his name very rarely came up positively. There were a lot of stories about him, some good, and some very, very bad.

I had never put much weight into the rumors, though. I had met the old man several times in my testing period, usually wandering through the hallways. Yet, I had never spoken to him. Didn't seem the crazy type though, from what I gathered.

The lights died down again to a calmer level, where it still made it possible to see things in the room, but darker than what I considered normal. Hearing him huff, I immediately closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.

"You will have to do better than that boy," said the old man. "Get yourself up, we have some things to talk about."

I doubled down however, trying to ease whatever tension was in my muscles. Even though I didn't fully believe the rumors surrounding this man, I didn't want to talk to him without having scrambled up a plan of action first.

"Boy, I may be ancient, but I am not addled. I know you're awake, there is no trace of dreaming about you at all. Deal or no deal, my patience is not something to be tested by the likes of you."

Deal?

"What deal?" I asked, raising my form to an upright position, opening my eyes to face the older elf fully.

The old man smiled down at me maliciously. "Nothing much. Your mother and I came to an understanding, whereas in return for her offer, I would make an effort to protect you during your time here in Suramar."

My mother?

This guy, did he-!

"And no, don't give me that look. Her soul was well and truly screwed over before I had ever met her. Whoever did such perverted magic on her is not I."

"What…?"

Soul magic? Someone hurt her to such a level? It wasn't simple magic, and heavily frowned upon even by most elves.

Who?

…Why?

The old elf murmured something intelligible, before rising to his feet.

"You have many questions, but not many I care to answer at the moment."

I had an idea why this all happened, but it didn't hurt to ask to confirm.

"How was I attacked? And why was I targeted?"

"Poison."

I had considered it now in hindsight, what happened, but hearing it was like a physical gut-punch. It had tasted so good as well…

The old man pursed his lips for a moment, then answered, "You trampled over the fragile egos the little emperors in your class. Some of those selfish little pricks couldn't handle the realization that a first generation Highborne, who is also the same age as them was better than them at anything, and swiftly chose to remove you completely. You don't have much tact, do you?"

That's what I figured too. The atmosphere back in the classroom made a little more sense now.

"I didn't think revealing that would cause any harm," I protested, albeit weakly. I should've been able to read the situation better.

"Then you shouldn't have done it!" said the old man. "Lesson number one, if you don't know what the fuck you're doing, then don't do it. Take a step back, and make an educated plan."

Almost in a rant-like manner, he continued, "This whole empire is a fucking mess, filled with thrash of the highest order, learn to maneuver around it so I don't have to bring you back from such a close call with death again."

Wow.

His last statement shocked me more than anything yet so far. It was almost unheard of to speak ill of the empire publicly, doing so came with far reaching consequences.

A professor at a prestigious school doing it?

I wouldn't believe it if I didn't hear it with my own ears.

Eyeing him up and down, I remarked, "You sound bitter."

He laughed sourly. "I am old. And I am not bitter, I have simply stopped giving a fuck. I do not care. I did my best for the betterment of our race and yet, all those in control only wanted to use me for easy power to further their own stupid games, like mud-covered swine fighting for slop. My talents are far too valueable for them to remove me completely, almost no matter what I do, short of an open assassination attempt against the narcissistic Queen herself would endanger me."

It made me wonder.

"If you really don't care, then why did you help me?" I asked.

He regained the earlier shown malicious smile, "You, boy, is the x-factor in tearing this shithole of an empire down. Your mother and I's deal notwithstanding, you should learn your value as the only remaining subject of the 'Blessed' project alive. None else survived the testing period, and the program was shortly discontinued after your birth. I plan to take you on as my apprentice."

I felt anger and confusion surging at his words, "What do you mean blessed!? Life has been nothings but a struggle since birth." I protested. "And with what confidence are talking about tearing down the whole empire, using me of all people! I have no power, and I almost got bested by cafeteria food not even a day ago! You really are as mad as they say, aren't you?!"

The old elf reached one hand out and lifted my chin so he could stare into my eyes. "Change seldom starts at the top."

His smile turned feral then. "On the contrary, it often begins at the bottom. With the small and weak, the outcast, powerless and the helpless. Those forgotten by the masses, thought beneath their notice."

"It begins with you."

* * *

**Sorry for swarming you all with so many chapters guys, I will be sure to give you guys some breathing room until the next one aha**

**Jokes aside, who would have thought the day would come for me to publish another chapter?**

**It would not have happened without the great support from you guys, thats for sure. **

**So once again, thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! **

**They are all greatly appreciated.**

**Did some small changes to chapter three, if you wanna check it out. It is nothing major, only some small changes to the interaction between the class and Lith.**

**Still looking for a beta that I can bounce ideas with and read over my chapters, whenever they may come.**

**Send me a pm and we can talk about it!**

**Much love, until next time.**


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